Beechcraft 77 N37148

Summary

On 4 July 2011 at about 18:45 local time, a Beechcraft 77 registered N37148, operated by Thorburn-Gundlach David, was involved in an accident near Jonesville, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 July 2011 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Jonesville, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

36.6500, -83.2167

Aircraft

Beechcraft 77

Registration

N37148

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Thorburn-Gundlach David

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jonesville → Rose Hill

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11CA378

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that she was attempting to take off from a cow pasture. She landed the airplane in the pasture the previous day due to a loss of engine power. She reported that the loss of power was due to debris in the right fuel tank, which was subsequently removed by a mechanic. She measured the length of the field and found that it was shorter than is typically required, but elected to continue with the flight due to the downhill slope of the field. The owner of the pasture mowed a path for the takeoff and the pilot and her husband inspected the takeoff area for rocks and other obstructions. She also determined a "no-go" point on the ground in case the airplane did not accelerate adequately. She removed all unnecessary items from the airplane and prepared for takeoff. During the takeoff roll, the airplane did not accelerate as expected. She aborted the takeoff past the designated no-go point and was unable to stop the airplane before it collided with a fence post. The airplane caught fire as the pilot was exiting the cockpit. The airplane received structural damage to the left wing and fuselage and the pilot experienced second-degree burns. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies during the takeoff roll. Although she had previously practiced soft-field takeoffs on paved runways, she had no experience with actual soft-field takeoffs.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.